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If your small business can't afford a full-time receptionist, then taking down accurate phone messages becomes everyone's job, Rhonda Abrams writes. By training each person in phone etiquette, message taking and message delivery, "you can substantially enhance how the public perceives your small business."

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If your small business can't afford a full-time receptionist, then taking down accurate phone messages becomes everyone's job, Rhonda Abrams writes. By training each person in phone etiquette, message taking and message delivery, "you can substantially enhance how the public perceives your small business."

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In most small businesses, answering the phone falls to whomever is least busy at the time, which can easily lead to messages like "Someone called from somewhere," writes Rhonda Abrams. Improving your response procedure can help make sure you're not letting business slip through the cracks. Abrams suggests rotating assigned receptionist duties and creating a template for taking messages specifically for your firm.